Primary school children eat cannabis in the playground

Hot on the heels of the sordid tale of two US primary school teachers busted at their place of work for possession of cannabis comes news of two second grade pupils – aged seven or eight – of another school being taken to hospital after consuming the drug in the playground on Tuesday December 12 2017. Staff were alerted when they noticed a large group of pupils had gathered. One had an empty bag that smelt of cannabis. Nobody observed the children eating the drug.

One surprised copper

This transpired at Eisenhower Elementary School, Green Bay, Wisconsin. No enduring harm is thought to have been done to the children. Lieutenant Jeff Brester of Green Bay Police commented that marijuana was sometimes encountered at high and middle schools; however, it was “rarely” found at primary schools.

Parents outraged that they heard about it from their kiddies, not the school

The two kiddies’ parents are under investigation, while other parents sounded off on Faceache to the effect that they were angry to have heard of the episode from their own spawn rather than their primary school. One, Carrie Falkner, remarked, “Phone call, letter sent home, an email, something from the school, and we haven’t heard anything still now, so I’m shocked.” In a letter sent two days after the episode, school principal Anne Zernicke claimed that earlier communication was not possible because the incident was under investigation. The police and Child Protective Services are doing the investigating.

The children weren’t arrested

Lt Brester detailed that “We won’t be writing the students tickets” – in Wisconsin, children under 12 can’t be charged – but a look at school rules reveals that they will be suspended. Lt Brester mentioned that counselling would be provided by Child Protective Services. The parents, however, could face action, with Lt Brester noting that child neglect was the most likely charge.

Not the first time, either

This isn’t the first time cannabis has turned up at Eisenhower Elementary School. It isn’t even the second. In 2009, an eight-year-old was suspended for the remainder of the school year after being found in possession of 0.009 ounces of cannabis. In 2010, a 12-year-old boy was arrested – hey, he was old enough – after his granny observed text messages on his mobile relating to the buying and selling of cannabis, and granny told the school’s principal. In 2000, a 20-year-old man was arrested for selling cannabis near the primary school.

It might be a HOTBED OF DRUG USAGE, but Eisenhower Elementary School isn’t all bad. In 2014, pupils received two iPads and an Apple TV for winning a statewide contest to make a video intended to reduce the dropout rate. The pupils were aided by Bryan Yuille, a teacher, and DJ Palomares, lead organiser for education at Flint Area Congregations Together.